Our Interim Executive Chefs
Frits Juntgens
Executive Chef
FHuntjens@Club Advisors.com
Chef Huntjens is a well-respected hospitality leader with a passion for culinary excellence. He is a native of Belgium, where his parents operated a boutique hotel with a fine dining restaurant. In the Netherlands, he learned from one of the “Best 33 Chefs” at a restaurant in a castle and in the kitchen of “La Gigogne D’Alsace”, a one-star Michelin establishment. As a Certified Hotel Administrator, Frits has enjoyed a distinguished career as General Manager of large Marriott Hotels and Convention Centers and General Manager of the member-owned Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Virginia. He has always been directly involved in food and beverage, knowing that this side of the business has a serious bearing on its success or failure. He opened his restaurant, One North Belmont, a white tablecloth, intimate French restaurant, which quickly received a four-diamond rating from AAA, and Chef Huntjens was awarded the honor of a “semi-finalist” Best Chef – James Beard Award for the Mid-Atlantic region. Chef Huntjens' volunteer activities consist of preparing wine dinners at local non-profit organizations, supporting local community college culinary programs, serving for several years as Chairperson of the Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association, and serving as Bailli (Chapter President) of the Richmond Chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs.
Xavier Gomez
Executive Chef
At the age of 23, he started as an Executive corporate chef for Saga Corporation. He was held responsible for 6 restaurants in the California area, Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, and Chinatown. Then he moved on to an offer from Mr. Hathaway (owner of Marina Yacht Club, Los Angeles Athletic Club, and Riviera Country Club) to work at Riviera Country Club. While working as the Executive Chef at Riviera Country Club, he was honored to cook for the Prince of Sweden, President Ronald Reagan, and Governor Brown. Xavier then took the position of Executive Chef of the 1984 Olympics in LA and worked on multiple PGA and LA tournaments for over 7 years while at Riviera Country Club in California. He then moved on to the San Francisco 49ers as a Senior Corporate Executive Chef, and proceeded to open over 25 restaurants in a period of 7 years. He later served as at Executive Chef at Hillcrest Country Club, Boise, ID; Executive Chef, Scottsbluff Country Club, Scottsbluff, NE; Executive Chef – Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC; Executive Chef & F&B Director – River Run CC; Executive Chef – Long Cove Club, Hilton Head Island, SC; Executive Chef- The Signature Group; Executive Chef, Food and Beverage Director, Bridgewater Club, Carmel, IN; Opening Executive Chef, Bald Peak Club, Melvin Village, NH; and, Executive Chef, Mountain Brook Club, Mountain Brook, AL. One of his former managers said about Chef Xavier: he treated his culinary team with dignity . . . and led by example . . . showing a man of dignity and pride in a job that exceeded all performance standards. Xavier is currently on assignment as Executive Chef at Berkeley Hall Club in Bluffton, South Carolina.
Keith Dary
Executive Chef
Chef Keith Dary has never met a private club kitchen he didn’t like. He is classically trained and is most happy when fully absorbed in the chaos of running a Country Club. He is a successful teacher, coach, and leader and is particularly strong at building high-end teams, managing cost control, and creating excitement throughout the properties he has managed. Chef Keith has an optimistic personality and shares it with his team to build loyalty and to share the joy of executing a perfect product. He also enjoys interacting with Club Members and ensuring that their dining experiences are beyond expectation.
Bill Ballard
CEC - AAC
Chef William “Bill” Ballard studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He is a Certified Executive Chef and a member of the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the American Culinary Federation. He is a progressive Chef with broad-based experience in education, competition, and ice carving. He has an in-depth comprehension of the private club industry and has worked for over 30 years in private clubs from Boca Raton, Florida, to Bend, Oregon. He has completed many interim executive chef assignments with Club Advisors over the past seven years with tremendous success. He most recently completed assignments as Interim Executive Chef at The Club at Castlewood, Pleasanton, California, and Fairlawn Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Chef Bill's recent assignments also include the Snowmass Club in Snowmass Village, Colorado, The Club at Castlewood in Pleasanton, California, Lajitas Golf Resort in West Texas, Bayou DeSiard CC in Monroe, Louisana, Menlo Country Club in Woodside, California, Dunwoody Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia, Broken Top Club, Bend, Oregon, and return assignment to El Niguel CC in Orange County, CA. He recently completed a summer assignment as Clubhouse Manager at The Golf Courses of Lawsonia in Green Lake, Wisconsin, and is currently Interim Executive Chef at Eau Gallie Yacht Club in Little Harbor, Florida.
Jonathan York
Executive Chef
Chef Jonathan York is a well-respected chef and leader who has spent many years directing culinary teams at the platinum club level. He has had the privilege of serving as executive chef at The Country Club of Virginia, Belle Meade Country Club, and The Mountain Brook Club. He has distinguished himself as an excellent leader and exceptional team builder. His simple motto of “find what our members want and give it to them” remains a vision in all the clubs he has worked in. Chef York has mentored and trained many of today’s top culinarians in the private club world. He volunteers his time with "Some Others Might Eat" (SOME), a robust feed-the-hungry program in Central Mexico. Chef York has extensive PGA Tournament experience, including assisting in the US Senior Open and the US Open at Pinehurst as well as organizing three consecutive PGA Tournaments at The Country Club of Virginia. Chef Jon recently completed an assignment at Forest Creek Golf Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and is currently on assignment at the Country Club of Jackson (MS). Chef Jon recently completed a holiday assignment at Greenville Country Club (SC). Chef Jon recently completed an event assignment at Snowmass Club in Colorado, and is currently in France assisting a friend in establishing a restaurant.
Joel Corwin
Executive Chef
Chef Joel's experience includes over 30 years of culinary operations in country clubs, hotels, and upscale restaurants. He is a two-time Club Chefs of America exchange winner, winning top honors back-to-back for wild game as well as salad competitions. Chef Joel's leadership in various clubs includes Evanston Golf Club, St. Charles Country Club, Kenosha Country Club, and Bull Valley Golf Club. His recent interim Executive Chef assignments with Club Advisors include Skaneateles Country Club (New York), The Fountaingrove Club (California), The Lookout Mountain Club (Georgia), Mt. Hawley Country Club (Illinois) and The Woodlands Club (Maine), and The Club at Ocala Preserve in Ocala, Florida. Chef Joel's recent assignments include The Country Club of Paducah, Kentucky, Northampton Country Club in Easton, PA, Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown, Iowa, and The Club at Castlewood in Pleasanton, California. Chef Joel recently completed an assignment at Doylestown Country Club in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Chef Joel recently completed an assignment at Idle Hour Golf & Country Club in Macon, Georgia. Chef Joel recently completed an assignment at Snowmass Club in Snowmass Village, Colorado, and recently completed an assignment at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club near Philadelphia, PA.
Detail Resumes Available Upon Request at ExecutiveChef@ClubAdvisors.com
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